The world sat in the dusty stupor of dawn. Stars began to fade from the sky as it tapered from midnight black to royal purple. The sun still dozed behind the mountains, teasing the sky with weak rays of sleepy light. Birds slumbered quietly in trees. Foxes hid in their burrows and alley cats were beginning to yawn and curl into familiar corners. An almost reverent quiet settled over the night. It hung from the sky like a gossamer canopy and draped everything in muted serenity.
Soft candlelight seeped from the palace windows, adding a dull orange glow to the violet and black night. White stone kept back the commotion of what lay inside the walls of the palace. The world within the whitewashed walls contrasted against the still calm of the night. Peace only touched the darkest corners of the palace. Candlelight and gossip ran freely through most of the halls. Hushed voices carried news from room to room, spreading excitement like wildfire. Few servants slept, undisturbed by the commotion of the palace.
The loudest room of all was the Queen's chamber, where many servants bustled about, trying to help in any way they could. Some folded blankets; others lit candles or stood idly by, pretending to do something, not wanting to leave. Most stood at her bed, taking in with awe the newest member of their kingdom.
"Please, please," the Queen's fragile voice rose above the hustling and bustling of the servants, making them all turn towards her. Amusement danced alongside the candlelight in her eyes and a small smile lifted her face. "You have all worked so hard and must be tired, go get some rest. We will still be here in the morning." The small cries of the newborn child followed her words and, reluctantly, the servants left. A sigh of relief filled the air as the door closed behind the last of the servants.
"They mean only the best, Milady." The Queen turned to her eldest friend and advisor.
"Oh, I know that. But they can be so…well, clingy." She gave a weak laugh and held her crying child closer. "We need our rest too."
"They're just excited. A princess is big news." They met eyes for a brief moment before the Queen spoke again.
"Fetch Dessa for me, please." Her advisor stared at her incredulously.
"M-milady! Are you sure?"
The Queen looked up at her with sad eyes and a crooked smile. "Yes, I'm sure. Perhaps seeing my daughter will bring some light back into her heart. She's so empty…" She said the last words more to herself than to her friend. A sudden fire lit her eyes. "Raina, please. This may be the only way to…to bring her back." Her gaze was fixed not on Raina, but somewhere far beyond her, in a distant place that only the Queen could see.
"Of course, my Queen." Raina gave a small bow and clasped one of the Queen's hands in hers before turning to leave.
Only when she was in the hall did Raina let a shiver pass through her. The sound of her shoes hitting the floor echoed against the walls as she made her way to Dessa's room. The corridors of the palace were now dark and quiet; the servants were tucked away in bed or whispering quietly to their companions. Raina didn't like the idea of visiting the Queen's sister-in-law, let alone bringing her near the baby, but the Queen has seemed so sure, so desperate…And who was Raina to challenge the Queen? She was her advisor, not her mother.
She stopped at Dessa's door, taking in the worn wood and stained glass window, wondering how she had arrived there so soon. With an uncomfortable cough and an iron will, she knocked softly on the door. No answer came so she knocked again. Silence followed. "Dessa?" Placing her hand on the careworn wood of the door, Raina pushed her way into the room slowly.
The acrid scent of wilted roses hit her; it was old and stale and reminded her of death. She pressed her lips together and stepped further into the dismal room. Heavy darkness gathered in its corners, the only source of light was the silver moonlight that filtered through a dust covered window. Dessa sat by the glass panes, silhouetted against the night. Vase upon vase full of dead roses lined any open surface available, and dust swirled freely through the air. Raina tried her best not to cough as she approached the window, the air was thick and stuffy and she wondered how Dessa could breathe in there.
"Dessa?" Her words landed heavily on the air and seemed to hang there, opening a chasm between the two women. Dessa did not move, but sat like a statue, staring into the night. "Dessa, the Queen would like to see you." Raina had finally reached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Dessa stiffened and turned, almost mechanically. A shiver passed through Raina as dead eyes locked on her.
"She would, would she? That's funny." Her hollow laughter fell to the floor and she turned back to the window. "She has not spoken to me in years. Why would she want to speak it me now?"
"Because she…she wants you to see the princess."
Sparks of light ignited in Dessa's eyes, filling them with fire and spreading life through her face. She stood abruptly, knocking over the chair she had been sitting in. "The Princess?" Her hands found Raina's and she squeezed it tightly. "Leonora has given birth to a daughter?"
"Y-Yes…" Uncertainty filled Raina's voice as she took in the flames of insanity that now painted Dessa's features. She didn't seem excited, she seemed….crazed, unstable and… darkly passionate.
"What is her name?"
"The Queen hasn't named her yet, perhaps you can help her choose one." Raina began walking towards the door, wanting desperately to get out of Dessa's suffocating domain of dead roses and polluted air.
"I would love that…" Dessa's voice seemed distant and hollow again. Raina didn't mind, she preferred the empty Dessa to the fiery Dessa.
The walk back to the Queen's chamber seemed long and cumbersome. Dessa had the tendency to wander into rooms or linger by windows, staring at some unseen shadow or shape.
"Come, Dessa. The Queen will be waiting." Raina took Dessa's hand in hers and nearly dropped it. She was cold as ice, as if no life lingered in her pale limbs. Raina stared into her empty gray eyes and wondered how any light had once been there. They seemed bottomless and hollow, a void of despair. She choked back a rush of unwanted depression and pressed on.
When she reached the Queen's door, Dessa still in tow, she stopped. The halls were eerily quiet and the lump that had been growing in her throat only seemed to grow larger and heavier. Suddenly, Dessa pushed past her and threw open the door. Raina held back a shriek of surprise and terror as the Queen's sister-in-law rushed into the room.
"It's traditional to knock when entering the Queen's bedroom." Leonora's calm voice stilled Dessa and she stopped halfway between the door and the bed, breathing more heavily than she should have been. "But under the circumstances, I forgive you." Dessa's eyes widened as she took the small bundle of life nestle against the Queen's chest. Raina entered the room cautiously, approaching Dessa from behind quietly. "Hello, Dessa. It's been too long, hasn't it?"
Tears made Dessa's eyes shine; instead of hollow blankness, they were full of tears and agony now. Emotions that had long ago been locked away were now breaking past their barrier of indifference and spilling into Dessa's tears. "And whose fault is that? Not once did you come to see me, not once." The Queen remained unfazed by Dessa's emotions. "You never visited me." Her voice was low and acidic, full of pain and loneliness. "I sat locked up in that room, all alone, for years and the first thing you say to me is "It's been a long time"?" Tears slid down her cheeks and she wiped them away furiously.
"Dessa." She stopped wiping away her tears and looked at the Queen. Warmth and compassion lit her eyes, but there was sadness there as well. "You locked yourself in that room." Knees weak, eyes burning, Dessa bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. She refused to cry anymore.
"That's not…true." Her words were no more than a whisper, just barely loud enough to hear. A heavy silence settled over the room, blanketing everything in thick solemnity. Raina wanted desperately to say something, but found no words that could help.
Without warning, the princess began to cry; her shrieks tore through the heavy fabric of silence and brought everyone back to reality. "Why don't you hold her?"
Dessa's head shot up in surprise. "What?" The Queen held out her child.
"Why don't you hold her?" She repeated.
Hesitantly, Dessa took a step towards the Queen and then another, and then another. Finally she was within arm's reach of the child. Her hands were shaking as she tentatively took the princess from Leonora and cradled her in her arms. The cries grew quieter and then stopped all together as the princess stared up at Dessa with wide, curious eyes. Dessa held her breath as the princess reached for her with tiny, delicate fingers.
Then she noticed it, the small heart shaped birthmark on the child's right wrist. Her eyes widened with terror and she reached for the small comb that lay nestled in her hair.
"What are you doing?" Raina cried, as Dessa brought the sharp metal to the newborn's wrist. She was too far away to stop what was about to happen. A heart-wrenching shriek filled the air and tiny droplets of blood hit the white carpet.
"Don't you see it? The mark on her wrist, it's a mark of evil!" Dessa's face was contorted into a hideous scowl and her voice was raised in fury.
"Stop it!" Raina's pulse was racing as she moved towards Dessa, determined to free the child from her grasp. But the Queen reached her first.
The harsh sound of a slap echoed through the room as Leonora brought her hand sharply across Dessa's face. Immediately all sound stopped and shocked pain masked Dessa's features. The silver comb slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor, landing with the dull sound of metal hitting stone.
"I showed you kindness by allowing you to hold my daughter." Anger smoldered behind the Queen's whisper though her face remained calm. "And I thought perhaps that she could have saved you from the emptiness that has consumed you. But I was wrong. Nothing can save you, so you will remain locked behind the door that you have so carelessly closed." Her fierce gaze held Dessa in a trance. "Take her from my sight." As Leonora took her child from Dessa's arms, the fury returned to Dessa's face.
"She's going to ruin this kingdom! Just like your husband did! She's going to leave and never come back and destroy us! She is not our savior, she is our executioner!" She struggled and fought against Raina as she was pulled from the room, her furious screams echoed through the halls and woke the palace. "That child does not deserve to live! She's going to kill us all." Then she broke down in to hysterical tears and was silent.
PHEW! That was WAAAAAY longer than I anticipated it being o_o It was meant to be a brief prologue, but ended up being nearly 2,000 words long. I'm sorry D: I got a little too into it.
I hope to get more of this story up soon :) I'm working on the first chapter now :P Please feel free to review and give constructive criticism.